Steph vs. Joy: How to feed a baby

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{Joy} I love watching Reagan learn new skills!  Eating solid food is no exception.  I was surprised to learn that chewing is intuitive and that she learns so much just by watching someone else do it.  Amazing.

I started her on solids at 4.5 months.  I was so nervous about her choking I only gave her rice cereal mixed with water or milk for about a month.  I eventually gave her veggies and fruit and yogurt etc.  But, I carefully followed the rule of thumb to only introduce one item over the course of three or four days.  I thought there must be a special trick.  Not really.  Just make sure the food it pureed and that it’s age-appropriate.

For all of you first-timers out there here’s how you feed a baby:

1. Place all baby food you are planning on feeding baby into a bowl (I usually serve a protein and fat (like yogurt or tofu) along with a fruit or veggie… sometimes all three.  Here’s a good guide to “what” to feed baby.)

2. Mix it up

3. Serve on a spoon to The Baby

4. Enjoy!

{Steph} One of the things you probably need to know about me is that I’m a bit of a perfectionist.  Although maybe not totally true, I love how Urban Dictionary defines perfectionist…

Perfectionist. per·fec·tion·ist

Anal retentive person who isn’t satisfied with any result.

Now that we have that cleared up.  I’m sure you’re wondering what it has to do with how I feed Nora?  Well… it has EVERYTHING to do with how I feed Nora.  I completely realize that there is not a “perfect” way to feed a baby; however, I’m out to find that way 😉

As I approached feeding Nora her “first foods” I  had to mentally prepare myself (aka: read A LOT!). I wanted to have a game plan before just diving in head first.  Most of that is because I’m a perfectionist – I don’t want to make a mistake.  Not even when it came to feeding my baby food.  I know, I know… I’m weird.

So in an effort to help you better understand this aspect of my life here are a few items that illustrate my perfectionist tendencies as it relates to feeding our little girl…

1. When feeding Nora I ALWAYS keep her fruit and veggies separate.  I can’t stand to mix my food so why would I assume she does? 🙂

2. I’ve been very reluctant to give her messy finger foods.  Remember – I like a clean house? I realize it’s just part of having a baby but the mess is sometimes a little too much.

3. I keep a detailed list and chart of the things she’s eating everyday – Vitamin A Veggie/Fruit, Vitamin C Veggie/Fruit, Super Green Veggie, Legumes, etc.  Yep, it’s all on there.

Now that I’ve thoroughly embarrassed myself in disclosing these things about my life I’ll hand it back over to Joy to close things up.  Joy, take it away….

{Joy Again}

We just don’t stop being more opposite;-)  Just FYI, Nora doesn’t mind it when I mix her food all up for lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  (That will be our little secret.  Shhh, don’t tell Steph.)  And another FYI, I ONLY feed Reagan avocado and banana (and some freeze dried fruit) as finger food… you can’t GET more messy than that.  (I do regularly whipe banana off my walls.) 

Additionally, I am not going to make a chart, but I keep asking Steph to please share her chart with the world (ahem, me)… because I would certainly use a chart if I had one… Okay, I’d use it as a guide, but still, it would make me feel like I have it together.